Why You Can’t Let Anger Control Your Life

Joel Osteen wrote the following about anger: “Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you’re doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you.”

Have you noticed that when you are angry you can’t listen or that your reasoning abilities are greatly diminished during your bout with anger? As Pastor Osteen says, you give something outside yourself control. That’s exactly what the Apostle James is talking about when he says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:19-20 (NLT)

Good advice. These are words every believer needs to live by. According to James, if we are good listeners, and we are not too quick to give answers, we can control our tendency to become angry. Notice that he does not say that anger is sin, but if you allow anger to control your life, then the fruit of righteousness will not grow in your life. God is looking for righteous people.